Asheville, NC – Today Rep. Patsy Keever announced her opposition to the revised version of House Bill 552, which would remove the Asheville Regional Airport from the control of the City of Asheville.

“I’m very concerned about the move by the Republican leadership in Raleigh to strip Asheville of its airport without compensation,” said Keever. “In the June 21, 2012 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times, it was incorrectly reported that I voted for the bill that would do so. What is true is that in early 2011, I voted for the original version of House Bill 552—A Bill to be Entitled An Act to Create the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority, which had support from many local leaders, including David Gantt, Chair of the Buncombe County Commission, and Asheville City Council member Brownie Newman.”

“However, the revised bill currently before the State Senate would not only create the airport authority; it would also strip Asheville of control of its airport apparently without compensation to the city,” Keever continued. “When this modified version of the bill comes back before the House, I will vote against it.”

Rep. Tim Moffitt (NC-116) is a cosponsor of Bill 552. He was also the head of a study committee that recommended that Asheville water system be given to the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewerage District.

Rep. Patsy Keever (NC-115) is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District. Keever taught in the public schools for more than 25 years and served on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners for 12 years. In 2010, Keever was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from NC District 115.